Shoe with Flexible Upper

ABSTRACT

A shoe includes an outsole, a main body containing a flexible upper, and at least one elastic lace. The flexible upper is formed of a four-way stretch fabric. In use, the flexible upper can be deformed in response to the shape differences of users&#39; feet, and the elastic lace can limit the deformation of the flexible upper to allow the shoe to be firmly worn by a user. With the shoe of the present invention, the unfit problem of conventional shoes due to the insufficient elasticity of the mesh fabrics making the uppers of the shoes can be solved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a shoe with a flexible upper and, more particularly, to a shoe having a flexible upper formed of a four-way stretch fabric.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,576 disclosed a bicycle shoe, which generally includes a sole portion, a harness, a rigid insole, a cushioned insole, and an envelope, wherein the envelope is made of a mesh fabric. U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,535 disclosed an article of footwear, which generally includes an innerboot, a harness, and an adjustable strap, wherein the innerboot is made of a mesh fabric. Although persons wear shoes of the same size, the thicknesses and widths of their feet may be different, and thus they may have different comfort while wearing the shoes. Due to the insufficient elasticity of mesh fabrics, shoes made of mesh fabrics cannot be deformed properly according to one foot of a user, so that the user may feel uncomfortable while wearing the shoes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus, an objective of the present invention is to provide a shoe that can solve the unfit problem of conventional shoes due to the insufficient elasticity of the mesh fabrics making the uppers of the shoes.

To achieve this and other objectives, a shoe with a flexible upper of the present invention includes an outsole, a main body, and at least one first elastic lace. The outsole has a bottom surface and a top surface and defines a first groove extending across the top surface in a transverse direction to reach two opposite lateral sides of the outsole. The main body is attached to the top surface of the outsole and includes an insole and a flexible upper. The insole has a shape corresponding to the top surface of the outsole and is attached to the outsole. The flexible upper is formed of a four-way stretch fabric and attached to a peripheral edge of the insole. The insole and the flexible upper define a receiving space. A top opening is defined by the flexible upper and communicates with the receiving space to allow one foot of a user to be accommodated in the receiving space. The flexible upper is deformable to some extent to conform with the shape of the foot. The first elastic lace is routed through the first groove to loop around the main body to limit the extent of deformation of the flexible upper.

In an embodiment, the top surface of the outsole has a rear section, a middle section, and a front section. The flexible upper has a rear portion corresponding to the rear section, a middle portion corresponding to the middle section, and a front portion corresponding to the front section. The first groove is defined in the middle section of the top surface of the outsole. The first elastic lace is routed to loop around the middle portion of the flexible upper.

In an embodiment, the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole. The top surface of the outsole defines a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively. The first ends of the first and second grooves are at the same side of the outsole, and the second ends of the first and second grooves are at the same side of the outsole. The first elastic lace is routed such that two opposite ends thereof respectively extends out of the first and second ends of the first groove to be intercrossed at a top of the middle portion of the flexible upper and respectively fixed at the first and second ends of the second groove. The main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for allowing the first elastic lace to be intercrossed therein.

In an embodiment, the shoe is provided with at least one second elastic lace, and the first and second elastic laces are routed to loop around the flexible upper to limit the extent of the deformation of the flexible upper. Two opposite ends of the first elastic lace are respectively fixed at the second end of the first groove and the first end of the second groove, and two opposite ends of the second elastic lace are respectively fixed at the first end of the first groove and the second end of the second groove. The first elastic lace and the second elastic lace are intercrossed at a top of the middle portion of the flexible upper. Furthermore, the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for allowing the first and second elastic laces to be intercrossed therein.

In an embodiment, the shoe is provided with at least one bridging ring. The first elastic lace is routed such that two opposite ends thereof extends out of the first and second ends of the first groove to be inserted through the bridging ring and respectively fixed at the first and second ends of the second groove.

In an embodiment, the first elastic lace and the second elastic lace are inserted through the bridging ring and fastened together by the bridging ring at the top of middle portion of the outsole. The bridging ring is positioned in the hole of the retaining strip.

The present invention has the following advantages over the prior art:

The flexible upper of the shoe, which is formed of a four-way stretch fabric, can be deformed in response to the shape differences of users' feet, and furthermore, one or more elastic laces can limit the deformation of the flexible upper to allow the shoe to be firmly worn by a user, and these features can solve the unfit problem of conventional shoes due to the insufficient elasticity of the mesh fabrics making the uppers of the shoes.

The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The illustrative embodiments may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a shoe according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the shoe of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the shoe of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of a shoe according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a shoe according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A shoe with a flexible upper according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 of the drawings and generally includes an outsole 1, a main body 2, and a first elastic lace 3. The outsole 1 has a bottom surface (stampede plane) 11, which is used to contact the ground, and a top surface (assembly plane) 12 opposite to the bottom surface 11, and defines a first groove 13 extending across the top surface 12 in a transverse direction to reach two opposite lateral sides of the outsole 1. Specifically, the material of the outsole 1 can be a plastic made from Ethylene-vinyl Acetate (EVA), and can be formed to have various sizes according to a left foot or a right foot of human. In one embodiment, the bottom surface 11 can be provided with an anti-slip pattern (not shown) made of rubber. The top surface 12 is concave slightly. Generally, the top surface 12 of the outsole 1 has a rear section 121, a middle section 122, and a front section 123. The first groove 13 is generally located at the middle section 122 of the top surface 12 of the outsole 1. The main body 2 includes an insole 21 and a flexible upper 22. The insole 21, which has a shape corresponding to the top surface 12 of the outsole 1, is attached to the top surface 12 of the outsole 1. The flexible upper 22 is formed of a four-way stretch fabric that can be deformed to some extent to conform with the shape of one foot of a user. The flexible upper 22 is attached to a peripheral edge of the insole 21, so that the insole 21 and the flexible upper 22 defines a receiving space 23, wherein a top opening or throat 24 is defined by the flexible upper 22 and communicates with the receiving space 23 to allow one foot of a user to be accommodated in the receiving space 23. The first elastic lace 3 can be routed to extend through the first groove 13 and loop around the flexible upper 22 of the main body 2 to limit the extent of deformation of the flexible upper 22.

In use, one foot of a user can be inserted through the top opening 24 to enter the receiving space 23. The flexible upper 22 can be deformed to some extent by the foot and can be in contact with the outer surface of the foot. The first elastic lace 3 can limit the extent of the deformation of the flexible upper 22 and can be snugly fitted around the user's foot. As such, the shoe can be comfortably worn by the user, and thus can solve the unfit problems of conventional shoes due to insufficient elasticity of the mesh fabrics making the uppers of the shoes.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, the rear section 121, the middle section 122, and the front section 123 of the top surface 12 of the outsole 1 are located generally corresponding to the heel portion, the arch portion, and the toe portion of a human foot, respectively. The flexible upper 22 has a rear portion 221 corresponding to the rear section 121, a middle portion 222 corresponding to the middle section 122, and a front portion 223 corresponding to the front section 123 (see FIG. 3). The first groove 13 has a first end 131 and a second end 132 respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole 1. The top surface 12 of the outsole 1 further defines a second groove 14 and a third groove 15.

The second groove 14 is not intersected with the first groove 13 and has a first end 141 and a second end 142 at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole 1 respectively. The first ends 131 and 141 of the first and second grooves 13 and 14 are at the same side of the outsole 1, and the second ends 132 and 142 of the first and second grooves 13 and 14 are at the same side of the outsole 1. The first elastic lace 3 is routed such that two opposite ends thereof extend out of the first and second ends 131, 132 of the first groove 13 to be intercrossed or interlaced at a top of the middle portion 222 of the flexible upper 22, and then the two opposite ends of the first elastic lace 3 can be respectively fixed at the first and second ends 141, 142 of the second groove 14 by glue or sewing, as shown in FIG. 1 (where the first elastic lace 3 are fixed at first and second ends 151, 152 of the third groove 15). As such, the shoe with one single elastic lace can be properly worn by a user. In one embodiment, the shoe may further include at least one bridging ring 5 located at the top of the middle portion 222 of the flexible upper 22 (shown in FIG. 5), wherein the two opposite ends of the first elastic lace 3 can extend out of the first and second ends 131, 132 of the first groove 13 to be inserted through the bridging ring 5 and fastened together by the bridging ring 5, and finally fixed at the first and second ends 141, 142 of the second groove 14 respectively. Furthermore, the main body 2 can be provided at the top of the middle portion 222 of the flexible upper 22 with a retaining strip 25 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) which extends downwardly from the top opening 24 of the flexible upper 22 and defines at least one hole 251 for allowing the first elastic lace 3 to be intercrossed therein or allowing the bridging ring 5 to be located therein. In one embodiment, the retaining strip 25 can be made from a Clarino Microfiber leather.

In one embodiment, the shoe can be further provided with at least one second elastic lace 4 to work with the first elastic lace 3 to allow the shoe to be firmly fitted to a user's foot. Referring to FIG. 4, two opposite ends of the first elastic lace 3 are respectively fixed at the second end 132 of the first groove 13 and the first end and 141 of the second groove 14, with the first elastic lace 3 extending through the first groove 13. Two opposite ends of the second elastic lace 4 are respectively fixed at the first end 131 of the first groove 13 and the second end 142 of the second groove 14, with the second elastic lace 4 extending through the first groove 13. The first and second elastic laces 3 and 4 are intercrossed or interlaced at the top of the middle portion 222 of the flexible upper 22, so that the shoe can be firmly worn by a user. Also, the first and second elastic laces 3 and 4 can be intercrossed in the hole 251 of the retaining strip 25. In one embodiment, the first and second elastic laces 3, 4 can be inserted through the bridging ring 5 and fastened together by the retaining strip 25 (see FIG. 5). Also, the bridging ring 5 can be positioned in the hole 251 of the retaining strip 25. It is noticed that, in FIGS. 1 through 5, the top surface 12 of the outsole 1 further defines the third groove 15 having the first end 151 and the second end 152 for allowing the two ends of the first elastic lace 3 to be fixed thereto respectively (FIG. 1), or for allowing one end of another first elastic lace 3 and one end of another second elastic lace 4 to be fixed thereto (see FIGS. 4 and 5). However, the above embodiments, which define two grooves and are provided with one or two elastic laces, can fully illustrate the technical features of the present invention. Thus, one embodiment with the third groove 15, which may contain additional elastic laces, is not described herein.

The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. 

1. A shoe with a flexible upper, comprising: an outsole having a bottom surface and a top surface and defining a first groove extending across the top surface in a transverse direction to reach two opposite lateral sides of the outsole; a main body attached to the top surface of the outsole and including an insole and a flexible upper, the insole attached to the outsole and having a shape corresponding to the top surface of the outsole, the flexible upper being formed of a four-way stretch fabric and attached to a peripheral edge of the insole, the insole and the flexible upper defining a receiving space, wherein a top opening is defined by the flexible upper and communicates with the receiving space to allow one foot of a user to be accommodated in the receiving space, wherein the flexible upper is deformable to some extent to conform with the shape of the foot; and at least one first elastic lace being routed through the first groove to loop around the main body to limit the extent of deformation of the flexible upper.
 2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein the top surface of the outsole has a rear section, a middle section, and a front section, with the flexible upper having a rear portion corresponding to the rear section, a middle portion corresponding to the middle section, and a front portion corresponding to the front section, with the first groove defined in the middle section of the top surface of the outsole, with the first elastic lace routed to loop around the middle portion of the flexible upper.
 3. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, wherein the first elastic lace is routed such that two opposite ends thereof extends out of the first and second ends of the first groove to be intercrossed at a top of the middle portion of the flexible upper and respectively fixed at the first and second ends of the second groove.
 4. The shoe of claim 3, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for allowing the first elastic lace to be intercrossed therein.
 5. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the shoe provided with at least one second elastic lace, with two opposite ends of the first elastic lace respectively fixed at the second end of the first groove and the first end of the second groove, with two opposite ends of the second elastic lace respectively fixed at the first end of the first groove and the second end of the second groove, with the first and second elastic laces intercrossed at a top of the middle portion of the flexible upper.
 6. The shoe of claim 5, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for allowing the first and second elastic laces to be intercrossed therein.
 7. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the shoe provided with at least one bridging ring, wherein the first elastic lace is routed such that two opposite ends thereof extends out of the first and second ends of the first groove to be inserted through the bridging ring and respectively fixed at the first and second ends of the second groove.
 8. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the first groove has first and second ends respectively at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole, with the top surface of the outsole defining a second groove which is not intersected with the first groove and has first and second ends at the two opposite lateral sides of the outsole respectively, with the first ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the second ends of the first and second grooves being at the same side of the outsole, with the shoe provided with at least one second elastic lace and at least one bridging ring, with two opposite ends of the first elastic lace respectively fixed at the second end of the first groove and the first end of the second groove, with two opposite ends of the second elastic lace respectively fixed at the first end of the first groove and the second end of the second groove, wherein the first elastic lace and the second elastic lace are inserted through the bridging ring and fastened together by the bridging ring at the top of middle portion of the outsole.
 9. The shoe of claim 8, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for retaining the bridging ring therein.
 10. The shoe of claim 7, wherein the main body is provided at the top of the middle portion of the flexible upper with a retaining strip which extends downwardly from the top opening of the flexible upper and defines at least one hole for retaining the bridging ring therein. 